Making my own sunshine...

The sun may have disappeared but as well as being full of bluebells, the woods are also full of Welsh Poppies, so sunshine is never far away :-))

When I woke at 7am and looked out at the loch and surrounding hills, my first through was where is the loch and surrounding hills?!   

They were still there of course but had been gobbled up by thick, pale grey mist.  All I could see of the loch was a mixture of dark and light ripples on the surface of the water about a metre from the edge of the shore, slowing heading landward and gently disappearing as the washed over the stones.

There wasn't a sound to be heard apart from the gentle sound of the loch meeting the shore, and the pitter patter of the rain on the surrounding trees.  I can see why people choose to listen to the sound of rainfall for relaxation purposes.  It was completely mesmerising.  

But it was the scent of the air that pleased me the most.  Rain, green leaves, bluebells, Welsh poppies, earth... so intoxicating.  I breathed slowly and deeply.  Ahhhh... 

We used the rain as an excuse to have a lazy day but to be honest, it's so beautiful here, we had no urge to go anywhere.

David watched some golf on my lap top while I sat on the (covered :-) veranda and tried to persuade the ducks to join me using sweetcorn to entice them.  They ate all the sweetcorn I threw their way but refused to get close, so sadly no decent shots of them this year.

After being so rudely rejected, I came back inside and spent a happy couple of hours with my watercolour paints.  Today's effort masterpiece isn't finished yet as it's a paint and ink work, but the ink (a fine nibbed black gel pen) hadn't arrived before we left home, so it will have to wait to be completed.

I am still struggling with approaching watercolour painting with a loose, abstract style.  It really is showing me just what a control freak I am!  Once I had taken my painting as far as I could today, I did a quick 10 minute painting of a single tulip, where I was being much more controlled with the style and use of the paint, and I have to say it felt more comfortable.  

I will embrace the painting course in a couple of weeks but may have to accept that the style of watercolour I love to look at, is not the style I love to paint!  

It's our last night here in this perfect little corner of the world, but still have brunch at the Watermill in Aberfeldy to look forward to tomorrow, followed by a drive home via , Fortingall, a fascinating little place and home to a Yew tree that's supposedly 5000 years old, so the oldest living thing on Earth!  We're also hoping to stop by the Keltneyburn Smithy Gallery.  We passed it the other day and it looked very interesting.

Now for a final holiday G&T with Kate Bush singing to us in the background.  

I do actually think I have found heaven on earth :-))

PS In extras, for my own amusement I have combined my slowly re-emerging painting hobby, with my photography hobby.  I could have fun with this!  :-))